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Eventually he starts breaking more again, because he tries new things which are liable to break spars (cynique, fast landings...)

I didn't break much last spring/early summer, but at some point for some reason I started breaking stuff again, and broke a ton of spars.

I haven't broken anything after that rash though, I think I have been good for 5 or 6 months now.

It may be the kites/spars I am using. I spent most of last year flying the saber, with G-force SUL LLEs. It also is very heavy, so it puts a lot of stress on the frame.Recently I have been working with epee prototypes, which <right now> are framed in P series tubes. It is also a slightly smaller kite that is significantly lighter.

It also depends on the pilot. Some of us are more violent than others.Because I make most of the kites I fly, I don't worry too much about breaking them. That makes my kites last a much shorter length of time, as I have no qualms about trying new stuff, occasionally with not-quite-nice results.

1) Getting enough practice so that you stop doing silly things like lawn darts and whacking the LLE into the ground if the tip is wrapped.

2) Getting the timing right on your inputs which in turn means that the inputs themselves can be made with less force.

3) Knowing what type of moves put what degree of stress on the kite and adjusting your flying accordingly. For example, Im not going to bang on the lines for a double lazy when I know the kite has 2PT spreaders.

Check the kite every now and then to be sure all fittings are still fully seated and properly aligned. Ground work and lawn darts can tend to pop things loose or nudge fittings out of position. This makes them easier to break while under stress or even while flying straight and normal. A few extra walks of shame are cheaper than a walk of re-frame.

I think it was on the previous incarnation of this forum that is was argued by a certain no longer active kite maker that it was possible to break a kite and still have done everything right. I disagreed then and I disagree now.

If your kite breaks, then you've made a mistake somewhere. It might be in the kite selection for the wind, in assembly, in operation, whatever.*

The Cynique is an interesting example - no kite trick should lead to the destruction of your kite. If you break an LS (most commonly) doing this then you've messed up somewhere. Either your kite wasn't up to it or you weren't.

But here's the thing; stuff breaks, life goes on. When starting out you'll break stuff 'cos you don't know any better, when you advance you'll break stuff 'cos you're trying to improve. Andy Preston's advice on the Stranger video (at 5:04) remains as relevant today as it has always been.

Mike.*there is of course the caveat that sometimes stuff breaks of its own free will. But that's just the universe messing with your head. Think of it as zero on the roulette wheel of life.

i think that it is prudent for beginners to keep the kite higher (away from the ground) more often (until they get better control).

Now i do a lot of hard landings and multiple coin toss things... but do not seem to break stuff near as much as i used to. Sometimes it amazes me that the spars do not break.

Now, in the spring, the ground is quite soft, so that allows one to get away with more; but it is more about knowing and controlling the limits of the kite. The other day, right before quitting, i speared the kite deeply into the ground and really had to pull to get it out. That was fun!

Logged

Excerpt lyrics from Rush:Follow men's eyes as they look to the skiesThe shifting shafts of shining weave the fabric of their dreams...

Now, in the spring, the ground is quite soft, so that allows one to get away with more; but it is more about knowing and controlling the limits of the kite. The other day, right before quitting, i speared the kite deeply into the ground and really had to pull to get it out. That was fun!

Many of the leading edges I have broken have come from getting the spar stuck in the much and trying to take off. Normally the fields I fly on are pretty much solid, which works fine, but when it rains and they get a bit soft that is when I really have to pay attention, as the torque makes it really easy to snap tips off.

After 2 glorious days of flying over the Easter break, and I mean glorious; clear skys, steady winds for 4-5 hours each day and good folk around to enjoy it with...

On day 2 I managed to take out 2 of my kites: first the Talon, not sure how, but broke the spine (the ferrule at the center T) but luckily with no sail damage so that sadly got retired for the rest of the day.

So from there I turned to the less trickable but still great to fly QPro std for the next 2 hours. As the winds died down I thought it was time to pull out a SUL, and not my normal 'go to' yellow one, no, I went the 'Pink', just to see it up... well 15 mins latter it was down, one broken LLE right at the APA (again, no sail damage)

So here are some of the lessons that I learned yesterday....

1... Carry spares...

2... Remember to attach the bridle line to the LLE before complete reassembly because you really only want to have to 'manage' that APA fitting once onto a 2PT LLE, particularly if you've applied sunscreen that day....

3... And finally, Oh and this is a good one... when managing an APA onto (and off) a 2PT LLE (for the third time), rubber palmed gloves are a very good option and take a lot of the work out of the job!!!

Hi EveryoneFirst time on this forum and its nice to see a few familiar names about. I fly in Melbourne Australia and took up the sport about 6-7 months ago. In that time I have splintered a spine on a Quantum and broken 2 female spreaders on an E2. The female spreader problem was I THINK! due too loosenes in the sail and moving about of the APA fittings. Tightened everything up and had 4-5 hours of trouble free flying over the easter break. (Your spot on WD it was glorious and steady)

Still relatively new at things and am looking forward to reading everyones Posts.

P.S Can't wait till Saturday morning. If the weather holds up, bought myself a new Deep Space thats itching to come out of the bag. (Gee this kite thing can get expensive, but as they say the fun outweighs the cost..... )

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